ANEM ALARM: Threats and insults directed at Brankica Stanković have become a regular occurrence at Partizan's matches.
Brankica Stanković was assigned 24-hour security by the Ministry of the Interior at that time, based on security assessments, which she had for many years. Her safety was threatened due to the series “(In)ability of the State” about hooligans. After several years of absence, in the last year and a half, chanting against Brankica Stanković at Partizan's matches has become regular, occurring at least once or twice a month. In addition to thousands of fans in the arena, the lyrics of threatening, offensive, and misogynistic songs can be heard by tens and hundreds of thousands of viewers through television broadcasts and the internet. No report to the prosecutor's office has led to arrests, detentions, or court rulings.
Last night, from the stands of the Belgrade Arena during the EuroLeague match between Partizan and Virtus, threatening chants were heard once again. The editorial team of Insajder TV and Brankica Stanković herself have ceased reporting threats, as all previous reports have gone unresolved. According to the records of the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office, which tracks reports and cases, the results for the last three reports are as follows:
1. March 2025.
*An interview was conducted with the victim, and a request was submitted for the collection of necessary information; after reviewing the submitted report, a new request was made for the collection of necessary information.*
2. June 12, 2025.
*An interview was conducted with the victim, and a request was submitted for the collection of necessary information; a follow-up was requested for action.*
The furthest progress in the investigation regarding the threatening chants occurred during a match held on June 6, 2023.
*An interview was conducted with the victim, and a request was submitted for the collection of necessary information; after a repeated criminal act, an additional request for the collection of necessary information was submitted. A police report was provided stating that the individuals who chanted at the journalist were not identified and that the police would continue with measures and actions within their jurisdiction to identify the individuals. On April 17, 2024, the police were provided with an order for comparative and anthropometric examination to determine the physical characteristics of a known individual and compare them with the physical characteristics of the person present in the video recordings documenting the incident under investigation. On October 30, 2024, the police submitted a report along with an official note received from a citizen identified as one of the attendees at the basketball match, based on the comparative examination of individuals from the video footage provided to the prosecution by the Technical Administration. Work continues on identifying the other unidentified individuals.*
However, this investigation remains unresolved for now.
The police are certainly aware of the group of fans who initiate chants that threaten and insult, disturbing both Brankica Stanković and the entire editorial team of Insajder TV.
Given that the investigations, as we can see, are ineffective, the only explanation is that these fans—hooligans, bullies—are under the protection not only of the club, whose leaders do not speak out or distance themselves from the actions of the hooligan group, but also of the police and all state structures.
ANEM calls on the police to provide the prosecution with all available information they certainly have about the hooligans who threaten the safety of Brankica Stanković and her family. We believe that the prosecution should utilize all options to sanction any possible obstruction from the police.
**Veran Matić, President of the Management Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), member of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, and operator of the Safe Line for reporting threats and jeopardizing the safety of female and male journalists.**
*The project "System for the Prevention of Violence and Protection of Journalists" is carried out by ANEM in partnership with Insajder TV and the Center for the Development of Local Media, with the support of the European Union and the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia.*
*The OSCE Mission in Serbia has supported ANEM's project “24/7 SOS Hotline for Assistance to Journalists and Other Vulnerable Media Workers,” as part of the EU-funded project “Promoting Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom in Serbia.”*
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